NEW DELHI: Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur became the first serving member of Parliament and minister to become captain in the Territorial Army as a regular Commissioned Officer.
He was promoted from lieutenant to captain on Wednesday. The four-time BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur was commissioned into the Territorial Army (TA) as a lieutenant by the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Dalbir S Suhag in July 2016, an official statement said on Thursday.
“I am extremely honoured to have been promoted to the rank of Captain. I would like to reaffirm my commitment for serving the people and the call of duty towards mother India,” he said. Thakur called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday after being promoted as captain.
The Territorial Army that is the second line of defence in the hierarchy, comprises volunteers who are imparted military training for about a month in a year. TA can be pressed into national service in case of any emergency.
